Edwards national tournament MVP

Team Ontario’s Aaliyah Edwards of Kingston, who led the tournament in scoring with 98 points in five games, was named the most valuable player of the Canada Basketball 15U Girls National Championship in Regina.

Edwards, who was also a member of the Canadian team that won silver in the 2017 FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in June, averaged 19.6 points per game for Ontario as the team swept its way to the championship.

Ontario downed Quebec 75-55 in the gold medal game on Saturday, with Edwards netting 14 points in the first half en route to a 17-point performance, which was second highest on the team. She led the team with 10 rebounds.

In Friday’s semifinal, Edwards, who led the Frontenac Falcons to the Kingston Area Secondary Schools Athletic Association junior girls championship this season and also starred with the Kingston Impact major midget AAA girls team, poured in a game-high 30 points and hauled down a dozen rebounds as Ontario beat Saskatchewan 76-52.

Ontario kicked off preliminary round-robin play in Pool A with a 79-39 decision over British Columbia last Monday, with Edwards chipped in with 13 points. On Tuesday, Edwards hooped a dozen points as Ontario routed Manitoba 100-28. Ontario, with Edwards leading the way with 26 points, downed Quebec 65-59 on Wednesday to claim first place in Pool A.

Besides topping the tournament in scoring, Edwards led all players with 6.6 defensive rebounds per game and a total of 32 free throws made.